| Slow Down, You Move Too Fast |
Slow down, you move too fast,
you've got to make the morning last
Just kickin' down the cobble-stones,
lookin' for fun and feelin' groovy
Feeling groovy
you've got to make the morning last
Just kickin' down the cobble-stones,
lookin' for fun and feelin' groovy
Feeling groovy
Simon and Garfunkel - Feeling Groovy
Yesterday I was not feeling groovy. Why you ask? Well let me tell you.
I ordered a couple of tools from a Sears in Jackson since the Sears near me did not have it. Nothing new there. I could have it shipped to my house but who knows how long that would take. That and it would cost almost seven dolors. I could have it shipped to the store near me but they claimed it would take 2 to 3 weeks to do that. So I placed the order.
After work I headed down to Jackson but, being smart, I avoided one of the most messed up areas in town and took a different route. I figured I could take the traffic lights and the traffic. I made OK time and was down to Jackson within an hour. An hour? It was only 37 miles away. Oh well.
Well I picked up the tools, did a quick visual inspection in the car and headed back home. I managed to get back to the road I was suppose to be on and I made my fatal mistake. I did not put on my cruise control. I always put that sucker on. Usually about 5 miles over the speed limit so I will not be in trouble.
Well I was doing 81 on a 70 mile an hour road when I saw him... can you say BUSTED?
I watched in my rear view mirror and sure enough, I saw a little dust on the road by him and he was pulling out. So I got over and slowed down. I knew it was a matter of time before I was nabbed. So I started to look for registration and proof of insurance. Next thing I know he has his lights on and we are headed for the side of the road.
But here is where it gets worse. All I could find was my old registration that expired in July and Proof of Insurance that expired August 1. Shazbat. He asked for the drivers license and asked if there was anything on it. Well until today it has been a long, long time since I have been pulled over. So I said no and handed my nice new shinny drivers license over to him. I also said I will keep looking but I can not find my paperwork. So he let me keep looking while he went to the car.
After a while all I could produce was the expired stuff but that was OK. When he returned he had a ticket in his had. He wrote me up for 75 in a 70 on a highway and nothing about the paperwork. He said my plates were current and checked out OK so I was lucky there. But the speeding ticket was a *cough* $100 fine *choke* but no points since it was on a highway. I am not thrilled about the money but am glad there are no points.
He was pleasant. I was peasant and respectful. All and all it turned out OK I guess. Then when I get home I look this up online and the code he wrote, a 628, says it is 1 to 5 miles over but not on a highway. That means I pay the same amount but I get 2 points on my license.
Now wait just a minute here. I was all set to drop the envelope in the mail tonight but no. There is no way I am pleading guilty to the wrong charge. If I am not suppose to get point then by George, there will be no points. I guess I will have to call them up tomorrow and find out what can be done. I mean he got me and he has every right to say book'em Danno, and I agree with that. It was decent to have it dropped to 5 over and all. I just don't want to agree to the charge. Hopefully I will be blogging the rest of the month and not serving time in some jail somewhere.
OK, so I would not serve time but, for heaven sakes, don't make me appear in court. You know I am guilty, I am willing to say I am guilty. Just get the facts straight.
So now I got my tools right away. Wonderful. And all it cost me was about $10 to $11 in gas and $100 in fines. Not exactly the Visa/Master Card commercial where then end saying priceless. It seems that Jackson has found a way to attach a dollar figure to that sucker for me. Some days you just can not win. Oh and by the way, the current paper work is now in the car. I learned my lesson.
Hopefully you had a better day than I did.
Posted by barman at 12:01 AM::
Oh man, Bryan!
That just sucks and not in a good way!
I have never before heard of that 'but not on a hiway so no point' law.
Here, we always get the points!
Little Wing, here is the history best I can remember. At one point they lowered the speed limit from 70 to 65. But what they did to keep people from getting to upset was make it so if you were only going 5 over there would be a fine but no points. Well it would appear that, even though the speed limit went back up to 70, there are still no points for going 5 over on a highway. Also the points are higher if you get the ticket off the highway or on the highway. Example, 10 over on the highway is 1 point I think and 2 points if it is not on the highway.
I learned so much on the Jackson post site tonight. Stuff I wish I never had to know.
And I blame you. You posted that thing about getting two tickets within one week (a few years back) and see, just to be cool like you I was going right along with you... LOL
Aww man Bryan that sucks big time. But I guess if it were me I'd just pay it and forget the points and try to remember not to speed again for a very long time...I mean after all those points do disappear after a certain amount of time right? Oh well thats me though....a woman! lol
Ahhhhhhh Bryan, I am so sorry!
And because I know it is MY fault, I just posted a little story to cheer you up!
Gab, nope I will fight it. I suspect that if I call and talk to them that will fix it. I think it was a simple clerical error. We will see if they see it that way. As to the points, no. If the insurance company finds out than they will raise my rates. If I have to fight it than I will.
Thank you Little Wing. I just saw it. You are the best.
Bryan, we always get points for speeding regardless. In fact we are more likely to be pulled over on the highway because that's what they watch closely. Easy money...
And Bryan, you live close enough that you could wander into my state. So if you get to your border, check that cruise control.
I thought I was getting a license reminder notice early only to find that they were warning me of my third speeding ticket. In my defense I used to commute a 100 miles / day and who can keep it at 65, our max speed in the country BTW, 55 on the city highway.
But I feel for ya.
John if you live in the state I think you do, I have gotten one speeding ticket a long time ago because, once again the cruise control was off. I was in construction so I slipped it off and then regretted it later. I also was fortunate back in 1980 to have a police car come off the shoulder after us only to have him turn off at mile marker 101 (yes I remember that sucker). I guess he had something better to do as he had us for sure and, from what I understand, out of state people best keep their speed in check.
Oh and by the way, thanks for the reminder. I will be traveling in your fair state in a couple of months. This just reminds me to be careful.
Hey Bryan,
So sorry about the tickets--that totally sucks!! Hopefully everything gets worked out and you avoid those points since that's what makes your ins go up. (bleech!)
hugs,
--snow
why, oh why, don't you have a radar detector. Those babies will let you know wayyy before you make it up to the coppers that they're up there and got their guns loaded and pointed.
This little hunny has saved my butt more than a few times. And it's not much more expensive than your ticket.
Those speeding tickets will kill you! And there's also a hefty fine for not wearing your seat belt.
Actually IMO any body dumb enough not to wear their seatbelt in this day and age is just Darwin material anyhow but the cops want their share of the booty from these boneheads before they meet their maker.
I just love hanging out with fugitives like you!
Bryan, I got my 55 button up on my sidebar, and yeah, it's so cool how it links to my first 55 post, I didnt realize you had made it like that already.
Thank you so much!!!
We are lucky if we can get up to the speed limit on the roads around me! And with our fuel working out to $10 equivelant a gallon, we soon won't be able to afford to drive at all!
I did see your comment on my site! And I replied! See you there again some time.
Jackson (Blackman Township) Police are infamous for giving speeding tickets. There is an area on 94 that has the reputation of giving the most speeding tickets anywhere in the USA.
I would fight the points too. There should be a number on the bottom (how do I know that?) that you can call to check it out. They will raise your rates if you have points.
ack ack ack and oh yeah....ACK!!!
Ah! So sorry, but “the best plans…” Well, you know: “…don’t include traffic sops.”
sorry to hear about your run-in with smokie.
Sometimes it's worth the time and money to just let it go, figure in time and wages lost to appear in court but if he doesn't show you might have a good chance.
good luck
tc
I used to use cruise control as my speeding safty mechanism, you know your foot gets heavy when its tired...
Until that 100 mile / night commute to a third shift data center job to support the offshore programing team (CICS isn't responding...). One night after a 12 hour shift after I was cruising at 70 mph (in a 65), I woke up and saw a bridge abutment!
Well four flips, an ER, a life flight and two months of recovery later I started driving without cruise control in the hopes that tired feet might get off the gas...
Of course having 11 of 12 points that meant not getting any more tickets. Hence I now have one of the finest radar/laser detectors made. Not a 100%, but it was a quick ROI.
Oh my lordy me Bryan! you are a criminal! how utterly awesome - i am SOOOO proud of you!
You know - you are TOTALLY the coolest person i know! don't pay the fine! do some time and get some jailbird tattoos! wooot!
tools...they are so expensive!!! Well, once you add the price tag of that ticket and the gas and aggrivation of being pulled over to it. That sucks. I'm very glad that I haven't been pulled over in years and I intend to keep it that way. Maybe it's because I'm older, but I've turned into the speed limit queen.
John I have had the cruise on twice (a long time ago) and sort of nodded off. Once I discovered it before I rubbed the curb and snapped the wheel. Scared the heck out of me, woke me up, and caused me to walk around a parking lot for a few minutes calming down. The other time I was on the expressway and the road turned but I did not since i was so tired. luckily the rumble strips caused me to see what I was doing and once again snap the wheel over steering. I swerved a few times and ended up in the ditch.
I understand that having the cruise on going a constant speed can be a bad thing. Luckily that does not happen often any more. I may just be in the market for a detector now.
Rebicmel, that is OK to laugh. Actually I hate what it costs but it could have been worse. It probably is not bad to have a reminder every now and then. This will get me to stay closer to the speed limit now not that I was speeding all that much anyway these days.
All right, JJ likes it. How about I say I did not pay my fines and put on some fake tattoos... will that work?
Jan usually I am either at or just about 5 miles over if I am on the expressway. I have not had (before this) a ticket in years. Oh well, lesson learned again.
Turned out third shift didn't complement my undagnosed sleep apnea very well...
And the 100 mile commute, on an up and down road no side landmarks, no rumble strips.
Cinci Electonics or Beltronics...
Expensive but to deal with that set of tickets (can you believe the cop is grillin me while the medics are workin on me). It cost me $500 to keep my license. But I didn't drive for 2 months until I was diagnosed and being treated. Thankfully its been successful for 4 years now...
The crash was so bad the first medic on scene asked where the body had been ejected to. I landed upside down and was hanging from my belt. A truck driver got me out. I stayed conscience I remember every roll - sky, snow, repeat x 3. The life flight was cool, but being strapped to the board I could only watch the clouds. Trauma centers are just wild...
A good detector will warn you way ahead. Mine even warns me when lasers bounce closeby but haven't locked on yet. The cops have a hint when you jump on the brakes but then it gets dicey in court cause their laser catches the slower speed. But if you go high speed on the open road and the cops good with his laser aim... Well at least it tells you when its locked on so you can get your papers handy. Look down at your speed and know what he clocked you at.
Mine also has a strength number, so you can tell if hes far away, or nearby.
For a long commute, the detector going off occasionally helped refocus my attention. Got me to slow down, know where the speed traps were. And part of the time I was on a trucking route, we're all movin...
But yeah cruise control when you don't feel fully alert is a bad idea. Now if you are, well its nice.
I have a hard time accepting "crimes" that have to be measured with a radar gun. Shouldn't those guys be out fighting real crime? Or protecting our donut shoppes?
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